Generic road milling machines comprise an internal combustion engine, via which the power required for the operation of the milling drum and/or travel drive is provided. The fundamental construction of a generic road milling machine is disclosed, for example, in DE 10 2010 014 529 A1, which is herewith incorporated by reference. The discharge of the exhaust gases arising during the combustion of fuel by the internal combustion engine raises several problems to the producers of road milling machines. On the one hand, the exhaust gas is ideally to be conducted out of the road milling machine such that persons who operate the road milling machine and are located in proximity to the road milling machine are affected as little as possible. This is frequently difficult, since the exhaust gases, in addition to the pollutant load, frequently have very high temperatures (up to 300° C.). Simultaneously, as little dust as possible is to be swirled up from the ground by the exiting exhaust gases and the heating of other components by the exhaust gas is to be avoided as much as possible. In addition, substantial sooting frequently occurs at the exit point of the exhaust gases from the road milling machine, which is disadvantageous in particular from an aesthetic point of view. Beside the preceding factors, due to the typically only very limited available installation space, an additional challenge in the design of road milling machines is housing the exhaust gas guide in the road milling machine in as space-saving a manner as possible.
For example, road milling machines, which have an upwardly projecting exhaust pipe, are known in the prior art. This type of exhaust gas guide has the advantage that the exhaust gases exit from the road milling machine at a height which is typically above the persons located in proximity to the road milling machine. However, such an exhaust gas guide is disadvantageous in those situations in which the road milling machine is to have the most compact possible overall appearance. Alternatively, exhaust gases are frequently discharged toward the ground via an exhaust pipe arranged below the road milling machine. However, this results in undesired swirling of dust up from the ground. Alternatively, discharging the exhaust gases in a wheel housing of the road milling machine is also known in such road milling machines. Increased heating of the wheel housing thus occurs, however, which is problematic in particular if rubber tires are used. Discharging the exhaust gases to the side of the road milling machine is frequently avoided, since the soot traces occurring in this case on the paint of the road milling machine and the hazard existing due to the hot exhaust gases to persons located adjacent to the road milling machine, which is frequently the case, for example in working operation of the road milling machine, are perceived to be disadvantageous.